One of the greatest things about Joomla is it's extendability. If you need a forum, a shop solution, a module to display weather, etc., you can bet there's probably a solution available. With over 4,600 extensions listed in the Joomla Extensions Directory at the time of this writing, Joomla users are presented with a myriad of options to extend the base functionality of their Joomla powered site.

While having such choice is an awesome thing for the Joomla end user or site developer, it can at times present some 'formatting' issues. Often times the end user might find themselves out of luck, going back and forth between a template provider and extension developer for support, with each pointing the finger at the other as the cause of a formatting issue.

Perhaps it's time to start slicing up the status quo and approach extension 'design' from a new direction.

Everyone needs to do SEO, its a continual point I make when speaking at Joomla events. Even if you are a local school, parents will first use Google to find information, they won't come directly to your site.

Our second Video Raw Review is on a useful SEO extensions called iJoomla SEO. Its a very useful tool to help you organize and manage you SEO efforts.

JomSocial is quickly becoming a "have to have" extension for Joomla 1.5.

In a time when "social networks"are becoming what we think of as "websites," JomSocial is a huge opportunity for almost any Joomla website owner.

When we first started experimenting with JomSocial almost a year ago, we were impressed with the potential of building your own social network inside your existing Joomla site. It seemed to us that Azrul and his talented team had developed something very cool, and very useful, that would really blossom over time.

Once in a while a product for Joomla comes along and really makes me sit up and pay attention. One such recent product was a <http://www.joomlashack.com/extensions/388-securejoomla-joomla-security-system">new Joomla security component called SecureLive. A simple module that you can install on your site and immediately secure Joomla more effectively.

Now, I'll admit to not knowing much about the hard core details of server and Joomla 1.5 security, so, I contacted someone who did, Tom Canavan, the author of Joomla! Security and a frequent speaker at Joomla events on the subject. I thought that we could install SecureLive on a real production site and we'd see if Mr Canavan could break in.

There have been lots of people that have tried to answer this question, and its a hard one. One thing that I think makes it hard is the question isn't "what is the best extension?" That sort of question is really focusing on a particular scenario. The questioner perhaps means something like "what is the best comment extension?" The Joomla extension directory has lots of good information about this sort of question at the following pages:

Since 2005, Joomlashack has been a leading supplier of free and commercial Joomla templates, Joomla extensions, and Joomla Training. Joomlashack.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Joomla! Project or Open Source Matters. The Joomla! name and logo is used under a limited license granted by Open Source Matters the trademark holder in the United States and other countries.